Poppy blight
Andy Leeds
Posts: 518
I've really been looking forward to a mass of oriental poppies but as yet just a couple have bloomed. I had noticed a while ago that one had a few brown speckles on the foliage but didn't know any better so let it be. One of my poppies early on had 'disappeared' in a brown withering mush but again I just put this down to acceptable losses.
Yesterday I did my daily round (been a few days since all the rain we've been having) and noticed on a different poppy one big bud appearing to be rotting and no sign of opening. I had a look at the others and a few are like this.
I'll post some pictures later (in my jim jams at the mo') but if it is 'poppy blight' do I have to dig up the affected plants and bin them or just cut off the affected parts?
Would I also be wise to spray all of my other nearby plants with fungicide just in case they succumb too (salvia caradonna, echinaceas, heleniums, knifophias)?
Posts
I think it's down to warm wet weather. I'd nip off and bin any bits that look mouldy but otherwise I'd leave things alone and wait for the weather to improve. I don't like using fungicides. Not good for human biology or the many important micro-organisms who share the planet with us.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Remember that most Oriental poppies are summer dormant and will die back after flowering so hide their fading foliage by growing behind a plant that flowers all through the rest of the summer. I agree with Dove - no random use of fungicides.
Here are a few photos.... First poppy, I've already removed the large 'rotting' bud - anything new else need cutting?
Next one isn't as bad?
What do I do with this one? ?
Lb4, thanks for the comment, I'm aware of the dying foliage on poppies hence planting echinacea/helenium/salvia around them, but this looks more than that to me (based on no knowledge or experience at all!!)?
Dove - point taken re: fungicides.
Andy, I think they are just dying back. You can cut hard back to just about 7cm above the ground. Poppies have a big tap root and are very hardy too.
Ok LB4 noted. They haven't flowered yet though so when you say dying back I assume you mean the foliage and to cut this only?
The last poppy pictured didn't get any higher than about 6", maybe just 'settling in'? All these were only planted this year.
I would cut them all back and sacrifice any flowers for this season.
Update - an echinacea next to the 'worst' poppy isn't looking too clever. Coincidence or does this look bad (and need to dig it up..)? Don't want to lose the lot as just planted this year, but also don't want to destroy plants that could be OK.
Or could it be slugs having fun at the base of the stem? No visible leaf damage though I know they love echinacea?
I have just dug up an oriental poppy with the same problem - but it looked a lot worse than the ones in the photo. It was planted last year and showed the same symptoms but I put it down to a really wet spell of weather. However when it returned this year I was concerned about a virus attack so removed it and put it in the garden refuse bin.
If it is a virus, should the soil be removed before replanting and could I plant another poppy in the same spot? I have a poppy in the next border approx 6 feet away and its fine.
Several of my clients have numerous oriental poppies. Just before the start of the recent heavy rain they were all flowering extremely well. Come the rain all are suffering from similar symptoms in the gardens o work in. Last year we didn't have this weather they just took their normal course so I'd have no doubt it's this warm wet weather. Your echninacea looks to be suffering in a similar fashion and that looks like a drainage issue. Luckily for me and I grow about 10 different echninacea, my garden has pretty sharp drainage and mine are all healthy.